Q: On a recent flight, a new digital camera was stolen from its box in my checked baggage — with the box resealed and tucked in another suitcase. The airline claims it’s not responsible. What course do I have? — Mike Wiacek, Santa Clara

A: Although each airline limits its responsibility in its “contract of carriage” — essentially the contract it makes with everyone who buys a ticket — you can still try to recover the value of your camera.

Checked bags are handled by airline baggage personnel and Transportation Security Administration screeners. Your first step should be to file a claim with the TSA: Call 866-289-9673 or e-mail TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov. That agency receives some 25,000 claims a year regarding lost or stolen items and reports that it has settled about 47 percent for an average of $150.

You’re not likely to find resolution from your airline. Generally, their policy is to not assume liability for the loss or theft of high-value or fragile items such as photo equipment, computers, jewelry and antiques. Those items should always be included in your carry-ons.

We checked with an airline not involved in your case, and this is what we were told: “The bottom line is that we feel customers should be in charge of caring for extremely valuable items, and we try to make that well-known,” said Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines.

A: It’s not exactly cheap, but your best option for getting to Vienna is flying. Train travel from Dubrovnik would require a four-hour bus ride to Split before connecting to two trains to Vienna.

Croatia Airlines has several flights, however, including one nonstop, to Vienna. The nonstop, which departs at 4:55 p.m., is one hour, 15 minutes. The lowest fare we found is 1,608 Croatian kuna — about $288 for the one-way trip. Information: www.croatiaairlines.com.

Still, if you’d prefer the train, Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com) has a route once you arrive in Split: a high-speed train to Zagreb, then a EuroCity train to Vienna. Cost is $223 for first class ($148 for second class), and total travel time is about seven hours.